It is recognized that the flavor of some beverages may be enhanced by exposure to a magnetic field, which alters the molecular properties. U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,614 to Peiffer, for example, describes reducing the sensory perception of acids and tannins in alcoholic beverages by treating the beverage with a magnetic field. This treatment is asserted to give the alcoholic beverage a more aged flavor. Similarly, European Patent Application No. EP 1,029,481 to Olivieri discloses a series of magnetic bands or flexible panels on an interior portion of a thermally insulated container that, in turn, holds a bottle of liquid.
Accordingly, a number of products have been developed to expose beverages to magnetic fields to enhance flavor. Some of these products also attempt to enhance user convenience when magnetically treating beverages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,401 to Lee discloses a container including surrounding sidewalls that have a plurality of magnets mounted on the inner side of the surrounding sidewalls to improve the flavor of fermented substances, such as wine, sauce, and tobacco. Another example is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,319 to Yu which discloses a beverage magnetizing container that exposes a beverage within the container to a magnetic field to promote preservation. The magnetic field is created by permanent magnets in the sidewalls, base, or cap of the container.
Yet another example of a magnetic flavor-enhancing device is a butterfly type clip that clamps around the neck of a wine bottle as is designated The Wine Clip, offered by The Wine Clip LLC of Bethpage, N.Y. Embedded in the rigid body of the clip is a plurality of magnets that are used to magnetically treat the wine in the bottle as the wine is poured, for example.
Other devices magnetically treat beverages during initial processing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,654 to Fregeau discloses a flavor treatment assembly into which is piped a liquid for treatment. The liquid passes through the assembly and the treated liquid is then piped into bottles. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,942 to Freije, III discloses a liquid treatment unit that includes a pipe having a plurality of magnets coupled thereto. The magnets treat liquid as it passes through the pipes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,353 to Ceccarani discloses an apparatus for accelerating the aging of alcoholic beverages. The apparatus exposes beverages to low-frequency polarized pulsating magnetic fields.
Magnets are also used with liquid containers to control the positioning of the container or a portion of the container. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,957,596 to Rehborg discloses a vacuum bottle with a casing having a magnet incorporated into the casing. The magnet is used to secure the vacuum bottle to a metal surface or to secure the cap of the vacuum bottle when it is removed from the vacuum bottle.
Unfortunately, the above devices may not be convenient to use and readily adaptable for different sized containers.